Search - Horace Silver :: Six Pieces of Silver

Worth far more than six, or 30, pieces of silver--no betraya

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 07/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Simply put, any Silver session recorded before 1964's "Song for My Father" and featuring Hank Mobley on tenor is essential. This one was made in 1956, the year that found Silver on an unprecedented tear: the sublime "Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers" (on Columbia), the delicately shaded and varied "Silver's Blue" (on Epic) and the latin-flavored "Six Pieces of Silver" (on Blue Note), with three versions of Horace's "hit"--"Senor Blues." Though the latter suffers from some of the overly arranged formulaic sameness of "Song for My Father," it's complemented by seven additional gemlike Silver miniatures, each affording more room for expressive solo work than the tightly wound main attraction. Finally, the two Silver trio selections--"Shirl" and "For Heaven's Sake"--rank among the pianist's most effective solo offerings.



After acquiring the aforementioned trilogy of vital disks, you'll want to pick up "Horace-Scope" (with "Strollin'"), "Further Explorations" (with "Moon Rays") and "Stylings of Silver" (no hits, just superb interplay between Mobley and Farmer). At that point, if you want your record collection to look like everyone else's, get the Blue Notes with "The Preacher," "Song for My Father," and "Blowin' the Blues Away." Just don't bet on them seeing the most playing time in your CD player."

A Classic Disc - Horace Silver and a young Donald Byrd

K. W. Denebeim | Tam Valley, CA | 12/22/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This 1956 recording that includes a young Donald Byrd on trumpet and the great Louis Hayes on drums. Some great bop with Horace leading on his piano. This comes from that era where Horace really took off on his own leadership. His forte as a bandleader came in the sixties, but he stands very tall on this album with a great set of musicians behind him. And what a classic disc cover with Silver hanging out on a park bench!j Where can I get the poster?"

A Fine Introduction

Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 09/09/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Never having heard a Horace Silver recording before, my introduction came via YouTube where I had been looking for Harvey Mandel's version of Senor Blues. I did not find that, but did find several other versions to enjoy. When I heard Horace Silver's outstanding original I was floored, so I jumped over to amazon and immediately ordered Six Pieces of Silver.

There is enough to like on this CD that I will be exploring some of Silver's other early recordings in the near future. My favorite cuts are all three versions of the great Senor Blues but I am also quite taken with the opener Cool Eyes and with Enchantment.

This CD is part of the Rudy Van Gelder remaster series, a series that has both its fans and its critics. Never having heard the original, I count myself a fan as it sounds great on my equipment. Six Pieces of Silver is accompanied by an informative insert that contains pertinent album info, a reproduction of the original liner notes, and a more contemporary retrospective on the significance of this release. I recommend this album to any serious jazz fan whether or not you know anything about Horace Silver. You won't regret the purchase."